Lead On
by Sebe
Summary: Naruto's vulnerable right now, so why isn't Sasuke killing him? The Uchiha has no answer.


Summary: Naruto's vulnerable right now, so why isn't Sasuke killing him? The Uchiha has no answer.

**Lead On**

Sasuke groaned, opening his eyes to discover himself flat on his back, dripping wet. That's right. They'd fallen after those cronies of Madara's had attacked, down into the rushing river below. They'd-

They-

Sasuke rose up quickly, spotting Naruto immediately. He was just leaning casually against a boulder, head tilted so that his cheek rested on the cool surface. He was sopping wet too. Naruto's eyes were closed and Sasuke almost would've thought he was unconscious but for the chakra signature that he wasn't even attempting to hide. It made Sasuke bristle.

"You don't think me enough of a threat to even open your eyes?"

"Nah, that's not it. Just wouldn't make much of a difference." Naruto smiled at him, the kind that didn't reach his eyes.

The raven's brow pinched together. The hyperactive idiot wasn't acting right.

'_What's wrong with you?'_, Sasuke just stopped himself from asking. He watched Naruto for a moment, then turned to walk away, taking pains to be soundless about it. He got only a few paces before turning around. He saw Naruto now had his eyelids cracked, but they were half-hidden by the hand he had covering his face.

Sasuke moved right and left, fast and slow, and Naruto's gaze never followed him.

"You can't see me."

He thought it was stupid after he said it, but Naruto smiled ruefully. He slowly moved his hand to uncover his eyes.

"Funny, I kinda always thought you'd be the one this happened to."

Sasuke had seen unspeakable horrors in his life. Starting with his slaughtered family and extending through every year since; but for some reason, looking into Naruto's red eyes, blood-vessels broken all through them, turned his stomach.

They were both quiet for a long while. Eventually, Naruto moved to rub roughly at his eyes, grinding his eyes into the palms of his hands like they itched.

Sasuke tried to keep his indifference and it was his body's fault, not his, when he suddenly found himself grabbing Naruto's wrists and pulling his hands away.

"Stop that." Naruto made an aggravated sound that Sasuke pointedly ignored. "Open your eyes."

The blonde looked like he wasn't going to. For a second, he was suddenly tenser at Sasuke's scrutiny which the Uchiha thought was stupid because he should have been tense long before. Naruto was an easy target right now. But, like always, he didn't seem afraid of Sasuke. The raven almost envied that sorely misplaced trust.

Naruto gradually blinked his eyes open. Sasuke's fingers were on his face, examining and trying not to feel anything of the way he ached as those blue irises stared right through him.

"How bad?"

"…Not very."

"So I'm blind."

"I said it wasn't bad."

"You lied."

Old irritation flared up and almost outweighed the queasiness. He was only half-lying. It was bad, but kyuubi should heal him, shouldn't he? He wouldn't stay blind. But the fox had been drained from their uninteded joint fight against his ancestors lackeys. Who knew if the demon was strong enough? In that case, Naruto needed help now.

Releasing whiskered cheeks, Sasuke leaned back. He contemplated his options. Even with Naruto's sage chakra, which was limited at the moment, he wouldn't be able to find his way to a Konoha squad or back to the village for that matter. Even if he could, he wouldn't be able to move quick enough.

Sasuke could lead him-

Sasuke shook his head. Had he just thought that? To get close to Konoha or its people without killing or destroying was strictly against his plans. But then again, he was already having this conversation with Naruto, a citizen of Konoha, and there was no killing. Yet.

Decided, Sasuke stood.

"Get up." He told the other boy. "I'll take you as close as I can."

Naruto didn't move and the raven remembered how the younger boy was never good at hiding his emotions. Everything was clear on his face. Shock that Sasuke would offer; hope that it was genuine.

Sasuke expected him to ask why, but when he stood up and had taken a few moments to get his balance figured out, he still hadn't asked.

Hadn't wanted to question it away.

But the Uchiha needed him to have an answer.

"I don't like owing people. You pulled me out of the river even though you couldn't see, right? I'm paying you back now."

Naruto grinned at him like he knew he was lying and Sasuke wanted to strangle him right there. To his credit, Naruto didn't call him on it though.

"Okay."

Sighing long-sufferingly, Sasuke steeled himself and reached out to wrap his fingers around Naruto's wrist. He tugged him forward and silently dared him to say a damn thing, because Sasuke was already looking to lay him flat out.

But for once, Naruto didn't speak and after only a few minutes of stumbles and scratches from low branches, Sasuke wished Naruto would say something. Talking and hitting had to be better than the way Naruto just kept smiling blissfully at him and following him unerringly…

Actually, Sasuke thought maybe that part was to be expected. He bit his lip until it bled to stop his own smile.

He only partially succeeded.


End file.
